


What Little Boys Are Made Of

by babybearwoojinnie



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Age Play Caregiver Bang Chan, Age Play Caregiver Hwang Hyunjin, Age Play Caregiver Kim Seungmin, Age Play Caregiver Lee Minho | Lee Know, Age Play Caregiver Yang Jeongin, Age Play Little Han Jisung | Han, Age Play Little Lee Felix, Age Play Little Seo Changbin, Age Regression, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Diapers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Encouraged Regression, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Might add more tags later, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pacifiers, age play caregiver kim woojin, all that, although changlix are hinted at, babyspace, because apparently i don’t have enough right now, but heavily encouraged, i just wanted to avoid a little/caregiver romance sorry, i like to have all my bases covered, jisung goes nonverbal for like half a second, jisung is a sensitive baby, jisung loves hello kitty because i love hello kitty, just want to be safe, kind of, not forced, okay i know that’s a lot of tags bear with me, pull-ups, sippy cups, slightly neglectful stray kids, so we have caregiver/caregiver and little/little instead, theyre all busy and trying their best i’m sorry, uh what else, woochan are both jisung’s dads, woochan is the only established couple, woojin is The Most Responsible
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2019-11-21 21:45:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18125318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babybearwoojinnie/pseuds/babybearwoojinnie
Summary: Jisung thought he could do it all on his own, that that was the only way he wouldn’t burden his groupmates. Sometimes he needs help remembering that it’s okay to fall down. Sometimes he needs to be reminded that it’s okay if you need a little help getting back up again.





	1. Chapter 1

Wrong. Everything was wrong wrong wrong.

 

Jisung may not have been a part of the dance line but that did not excuse how he kept fucking up moves, moving a half a beat too late or turning in the wrong direction or landing too hard and painfully jostling his knee. They’d been at it for _hours_  and everyone was getting it except for him. The day before he’d kept messing up his lines in the booth, stumbling over his pronunciation even more than Felix had and if that weren’t bad enough Chan had clicked on the intercom before he’d fully finished sighing and Jisung just _knew_  Chan was disappointed with his work. Which in turn meant Chan was disappointed with _him_  and that was one of the worst feelings. Their leader was so supportive and caring and understanding that if Chan was disappointed in you it meant you had messed up bad.

Now he could see it again, the tension in the line of the leader’s shoulders as he motioned for the music to be cut off. He bit his lip as his eyes began to sting, a tumble of apologies already on his tongue when Chan swiftly cut him off before he could even open his mouth.

“I think that’s enough for tonight. Let’s head back to the dorm. We’ll all do better once we’re rested.” Jisung bit his lip again, this time harder, barely noticing when he drew blood. Despite Chan trying to avoid calling him out, he knew that was directed at him. They all did.

He took a bit longer to get his things together and hung back, watching out of the corner of his eye as the others trailed out. Seungmin and Hyunjin were whispering to each other, Jeongin koala’d on Minho’s back obviously falling asleep, and Chan had his arms affectionately slung around Felix and Changbin. Jisung told himself the ache in his chest was from dancing.

Woojin paused in the doorway and asked Jisung if he was coming, but Jisung shook his head.

“I’m meant to lock up today anyway, hyung. I’m just going to recalibrate the sound system first. We’ve been messing with the settings so much for videos that it really needs it.” He mentally pat himself on the back for how smooth and even his voice came out despite feeling on the verge of tears. He wasn’t exactly lying, and mindlessly resetting all the things they had messed with recently would help him calm down before he had to be faced with everyone again. Woojin seemed to consider, but didn’t press or offer to stay as Chan would’ve. On a regular day that is.

It made Jisung’s chest do that funny stinging thing again, but he was also kind of relieved.

“Okay Sungie, but don’t stay too late. Back at the dorm in 45 minutes or I’m coming back to get you, okay?” The nickname that easily rolled off the other’s tongue had tears stinging at the younger’s eyes again in less than a second, but he swallowed it down.

“Yes hyung, I understand,” he replied obediently. Once again to his great relief his voice came out steadier than he’d expected. Woojin still paused a second longer before continuing out with a quiet “see you later”. Jisung, with his head turned away, missed the look of concern that flitted across Woojin’s face.

As soon as he was sure the eldest was far enough away, the tears Jisung had been holding back all spilled over in a rush. He didn’t cry loudly, he hardly made a sound at all, but his shoulders shook violently as he stood facing the wall letting tears cascade down his face. It had been so hard not to bound into Woojin’s arms and beg him to make him feel better when that nickname had dropped from the older’s mouth, but Jisung restrained himself. This was his mess, his fault, he was the one who needed to be better and he needed to do it on his own. He’d already caused the hyungs enough trouble, he needed to make up for it before he could be coddled.

When Jisung looked up to check the time he quietly cursed to himself. He’d been crying for 10 minutes, and the walk back to the dorm was also 10 minutes, which meant he had 25 minutes to go through all the sound settings, clean, and lock up. He wasn’t going to be able to zone out like he usually would, and that made him want to cry all over again. Still, he powered through it and got to work resetting the bass level, the equalizer, the stereo, and everything else they’d managed to mess up in just a few days. Someone had somehow managed to get the language settings switched to Thai, but only on the language menu itself, and that was a hassle to work out. Even using his full focus, it took 15 minutes to get everything back in order. His time to calm down was running out and he could still feel the tension strung tight in his chest and throat.

Jisung wiped down the floor and the mirror, threw away the last of the plastic water bottles left behind, and turned out the lights and locked the door. He sent a cursory but polite text to Woojin that he was walking back before pulling up his hood and beginning the walk.

He dabbed at his still wet eyes with his jacket sleeves and hissed as his teeth pressed into the new cut on the inside of his lip. It wasn’t often that he broke the skin while biting his lip and in fact hadn’t happened in quite some time, it was a bad habit that was usually cured by his paci—

No. He shook his head violently, almost enough to dislodge his hood. He was not thinking about that right now. Pacifiers were for good boys who followed directions and did the things they were supposed to do. Bad boys who messed up their lines and forgot their choreography and made everybody else stay late did not get pacis. They didn’t get sippys or blankies or cuddles either.

Jisung came to an abrupt pause on the sidewalk and pressed his hands to his eyes, once again fighting back tears as a lump formed in his throat. It had been so long since he’d slipped. He’d watched as Felix or Changbin blissfully played out their headspaces, with envy and longing, but Jisung would not allow himself to join them. Until he made it up to his hyungs for all the trouble he caused he would not let himself be taken care of. He didn’t deserve it.

With a hitched little gasp and some sniffling, Jisung calmed himself again and continued the rest of the way to the dorms. When he reached their door his face was tacky and tight and gross with dried tears and he could only hope that he didn’t look as bad as he felt at that particular moment. He looked up as he entered and was met with the sight of both Felix and Changbin swaddled in blankets and curled up watching The Fox and the Hound with Jeongin squished in on one side of them and Hyunjin on the other. Changbin was sitting in Seungmin’s lap and Minho was playing with Felix’s hair, while Hyunjin idly rubbed Felix’s arm. Jisung felt his breath stutter and the lump in his throat thicken again, but he thankfully couldn’t be heard over the movie and just quietly shut the door behind him, toeing off his shoes (already untied, it had just been too much effort) and making his way to the kitchen.

Woojin was sitting at the table when he walked in. The elder fixed Jisung with a bright smile and a little wave. “Welcome back, Sungie. Did you get everything fixed?”

Jisung gave a jerky little nod and padded over to the fridge to get something to drink. With his back turned, he didn’t notice Woojin’s concerned frown once again directed at him. The nickname had once again got him close to hurling himself at the other boy for comfort and if he looked at him right then he knew he’d break. It was one of the easiest ways to get him to slip, the nickname, and resisting it for weeks like he had been was making him even more sensitive to it.

“Sungie, don’t you think you should shower first?” It was just an innocent comment but it hit Jisung’s ears like a real scolding. Normally he’d whine or argue but he wanted to be good for his hyungs, so he just muttered a tiny ‘ _yes hyung_ ’ as his face flamed up in shame and closed the fridge door to make his way to their shared bathroom.

Woojin looked after him, now more concerned than ever. Something had _happened_ and he didn’t know what but he knew whatever it was was weighing on his younger band mate heavily, and had been for quite some time. Frankly, he was tired of trying to see if it’d work itself out on its own. He waited until he could hear the shower running and headed off to Changbin and Chan’s room.

The door was open but he knocked on it anyway as he poked his head in.

“Chan?”

The leader pulled his headphones off and looked up questioningly from his computer screen. “Woojin? What is it?”

Woojin shook his head, not quite sure how to explain. “Jisungie isn’t feeling well. I don’t know what it is, but he’s been very quiet and he seemed really down just now. I’m starting to get kind of worried.” An understatement, Woojin had been worried when he first noticed Jisung eating less at meals two weeks ago. He was about ready to stage an intervention. “I haven’t asked him about it, I thought maybe you’d want to.”

Chan nodded and slid his headphones up and off his head, setting them to the side and getting up from his desk chair. “Thank you, Woojin. I appreciate it. I’ll see what’s up with our baby squirrel.” The older smiled fondly and patted Chan’s shoulder as he passed.

“Can always count on our caring leader.” Chan chuckled in response and went to the kitchen to wait for Jisung while Woojin retreated to his own room to let them have their time together.

Sure enough, a few minutes later Jisung padded into the kitchen with his hair still damp from the shower. He noticeably paused when he saw the leader leaning against the counter and it made an uneasiness settle in the pit of Chan’s stomach. He shot the other a smile and Jisung ducked his head before once again going to the fridge.

“Hey Sungie, the others have a movie on in the living room. Wanna go watch?” Chan knew what was going on in his group most of the time, he was well aware Jisung hadn't regressed in close to a month despite consistent stimuli. Jisung was almost always triggered into littlespace when one of the others was also feeling little, but he’d even had a full play session with Felix the other day and stayed big the whole time. He was almost certain whatever funk Jisung had worked himself into could be fixed if he would just let himself relax, but the younger seemed to be fighting it hard and Chan couldn’t figure out why. He was starting to feel the effects of Jisung’s resistance to regress as well, taking care of Jisung in his headspace allowed Chan just as much relaxation and content as it did his younger groupmate. He missed having his little boy on his hip, watching cartoons with him, and listening to him try and recount stories of his play dates with the other two littles.

Jisung felt his breath catch and quickly tried to correct it so Chan wouldn’t notice. He did want to go watch. He wanted to go watch very badly. Fox and the Hound was one of his _favorites_. Everyone knew that. But he couldn’t. He had been bad, and he knew he didn’t deserve a movie, but he couldn’t figure out why Chan would tease him with it like that. He shook his head and got his little carton of strawberry milk out of the fridge and set it on the counter.

“No thank you, hyung. I don’t feel like a movie right now.” He said as politely as he could, his voice coming out very tiny and soft even to his own ears. Speaking much louder was too much effort and he was so tired.

“Jisung.”

Oh. Oh no.

Jisung shook lightly as he looked up at Chan’s face, and oh he did not like what he found. The leader was frowning at him, arms crossed over his chest. That, paired with his tone and the lack of nickname, let Jisung know he was in deep trouble.

“Why don’t you come to hyung’s room so we can talk?”

A million thoughts rushed through Jisung’s head as they walked quietly through the living room and down the hall to Chan’s room, too fast to really latch onto one for any length of time. _He’s going to kick me out, he’s going to tell me I’m too much, he can’t handle me anymore, Felix and Changbin are enough and he doesn’t need another little to deal with, I’m too much of a baby, I’m too much of a screw up, I’m too much I’m too much I’m too much—_

He didn’t realize he’d started crying again, silently, and biting his lip until they entered the room and Chan turned around.

“Sungie, hey no don’t do that you’re gonna hurt yourself. You want me to go get your paci?” Jisung jerked away as Chan’s hand brushed against his wet cheek, and the flinch made the other recoil as well.

“Stop,” Jisung choked out. “Stop, hyung stop, please.”

Chan’s brows drew together in hurt and confusion. Seeing that look, and knowing he’d caused it, Jisung began to shake as he cried even harder but still completely silent. He was fucking things up again and he couldn’t stop.

“Sungie,” that nickname again, Jisung felt like he’d choke on it if people didn’t stop calling him that, “please tell hyung what’s wrong. I can't help you if I don’t know what to help.”

He shook his head violently, tiny droplets of water getting flung around, and Chan sighed in response. Jisung curled into himself, trying to seem as small as possible. He had one foot in his big headspace and one foot in his little headspace and the stress and frustration and exhaustion were working to shove him constantly in either direction. He knew he was just making Chan more upset with him and he almost wished he’d just hurry up and yell at him or get angry or _something._

Jisung wasn’t talking and Chan was at a loss of what to do. He was obviously distressed, and the leader was feeling more than a little helpless.

“Jisungie, hyung knows you haven’t slipped in a long time.” Chan was trying to be careful with his wording. He didn’t want it to seem like he was trying to talk Jisung down without getting his consent first, but it wasn’t easy to discuss it when the younger wouldn’t look at him, wouldn’t let him touch him, and couldn’t stop crying. He just wanted to hold his baby and make him feel better. “Honey, hyung can tell you need it so bad. Let me help.”

Jisung shook his head again and struggled to take deep breaths, but he just kept on crying. It was hard to think and process when he was in this in between place in his head, he could barely remember why he wasn’t allowing himself to fully regress. All he knew was that he had been a bad boy and bad boys don’t get privileges like good boys do. “C-can’t, can’t hyung, can’t.”

“Why can’t you, Sungie?”

Jisung fisted his hands in his hair and his fingers slipped through the damp strands a bit and it was starting to get cold and it _hurt_ but it made him feel better and cleared up his mind a bit. “Sungie— _I_ _can’t_ ,” he emphasized, lisping slightly around his reopened cut lip and struggling to keep his big headspace. “Sungie has been a bad boy, forgot my lines and messed up practice and- and-“ and what had initially started all this, now he remembered. His lower lip trembled as he pulled his hair even harder in his struggle to stay in bigspace. “And Sungie fell on stage.”

He hadn’t just fallen, it would’ve been easier if that had been all. No, he’d fallen directly on his mic pack. He had felt it crunch under his hip and suddenly he couldn’t hear the music in his in-ear anymore and panicked. He knew for the rest of that song and the next one he was off his cues and limping slightly because falling on that thing had _hurt_. They got backstage and before anyone could say anything tech dragged him away while their manager berated him. He wasn’t the manager that usually came with them for schedules. Their regular guy, who was nice and cool and let them hang all over him and joked with them, was at home sick. So they’d gotten stuck with a temporary replacement. He was much more strict with them, and came off very cold and snappy.

“ _Dammit kid these are expensive_ ,” he’d said, “ _and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that performance was worse than bad. God I guess you can’t help it, it figures you’d be useless without the in-ear_.” Jisung had cringed internally at the tone and words. He felt more than scolded, like he was being treated very unfairly, and he absolutely hated when people called him “kid”. It was demeaning, reducing him down to nothing more than the number of years he’d been alive. He was fixed with a new mic pack and in-ear and shoved back on stage before he could think. Not wanting to give their manager more of a reason to scold him, he fought through the pain to perform like normal and by the end of the set and the adrenaline, everyone had forgotten. He hadn’t, but that didn’t really matter, not even when he took a shower by himself that night and spotted the huge dark purple bruise that looked practically tattooed onto his thigh. He’d already decided that he was going to make it up to the hyungs for his poor performance.

He stayed up late writing, ate less to leave more for the others, and hung back after practice to perfect things and wipe down the whole practice room himself. He’d also put a halt on his regression, so he’d be around more to help with Felix and Changbin and so he wouldn’t be more of a burden on the hyungs than he already was. Then somewhere things had started to fall apart. His staying up late was making him wake up late, eating less made him fatigued and slow during practice, and staying late made the hyungs stay up to make sure he got home okay. No matter what he did it was like he just messed up more, and now keeping himself from slipping for so long had landed him here.

And god, Chan was _reeling_. That fall Jisung had taken had happened over four weeks ago, and it should’ve been obvious then that something was wrong when Jisung hadn’t slipped that night. But Chan hadn’t noticed, Jisung hadn’t mentioned it again and they had all either forgotten about it or left it alone, figuring the younger was embarrassed and didn’t want to acknowledge it. That had been very stupid of him, he should’ve at least checked to make sure Jisung was okay. He was silent for a while, mentally berating himself, and Jisung took it for the worst.

“Channie-hyung.” Jisung cried, and Chan’s eyes snapped to his in an instant. “Channie-hyung please don’t be disappointed in me.”

It was a selfish thing to ask, it was what Jisung deserved, but Chan’s face crumbled into something close to heartbreak.

“Sungie, hyung isn’t disappointed in you. And you’re not a bad boy, please let go of your hair okay? No hurting hyung’s baby boy.” Chan didn’t know how he’d let it get this far, but he had really let Jisung down. This should have never escalated so badly.

The younger boy slowly unfisted his hands and let Chan take them and kiss his knuckles gently, then kiss his forehead.

“Okay that’s good, Sungie.” He could tell Jisung still wasn’t fully under, but he didn’t know how to help. “You’re not a bad boy, hyung is sorry he didn’t see you struggling. You’re not bad for forgetting lyrics or messing up at practice, it happens to everyone. Hyung knows you aren’t doing it on purpose.” He wanted to talk about the last thing Jisung had mentioned, but it seemed to upset him a great deal.

Jisung didn’t protest as Chan gently brought a hand up to cradle his face. He was still crying soundlessly, and it worried the leader to no end. Both big and little, Jisung wasn’t really quiet. He was childish and full of energy, and when he cried it was loud, and heartbreaking. This quiet crying was much more scary. It reminded Chan of a line from a show he used to watch. “ _Children cry because they want attention, because they’re hurt or afraid. When they cry silently, it’s because they just can’t stop._ ”

“Sungie, I think being big might be a bit much for you right now. Why don’t you let hyung talk you down? We can have a nice night, just you and me.” Jisung shook his head again, slow and sad, trying not to dislodge Chan’s hand. “Why not, baby?”

“‘M too much.” He mumbled even as he leaned further into the hand cradling his face, so quiet Chan had to strain to hear.

“Too much? You’re never too much for me, Sungie. Hyung loves you. I just want you to feel better.” He still didn’t look convinced. “We’ll go right to bed, okay? Won’t even have to do anything, just lay down and let hyung hold you until we fall asleep.”

Jisung bit his lip again, mulling it over, and Chan winced internally. He had to have torn through it more than once by now. His baby was prone to chewing things up when he’d gone without his soother for too long.

“...Right to bed?” He looked up at Chan, and the leader’s heart melted under his doe eyes.

“Right to bed.” He promised. Hesitantly, Jisung nodded.

“Okay.”

Chan smiled wide and ruffled the younger’s hair gently, not minding the water. It was almost dry from all the ruffling and shaking now anyway. “There’s my good boy. Now let’s go get your paci so you can leave your poor lip alone, huh?”

Still fighting with himself, Jisung forced out a nod and followed as Chan led him by the hand to his bedside drawer. His curiosity was piqued, as far as he knew his pacis were in his own room. His unoccupied hand messily swiped over his face to clear the tears away. He was still kind of crying but more sluggishly now, calmer under his hyung’s gentle reassurance.

“Hyungie was saving this for our first comeback stage, but I think you might need it more now.” Chan pulled a little plastic case out of his bedside drawer and opened it up as Jisung carefully peered over his hands at it. He nearly audibly gasped when it was uncovered.

In Chan’s hands, he held a pacifier with a baby blue guard and stars all over it, and right in the middle it said “sungie” in a cute white bubble font. Jisung stared at it in awe, utterly captivated. He wanted to ask, “ _for me?_ ” but with his name very obviously printed on it, who else could it reasonably be for?

Jisung had two other pacis that were just his, the hyungs worrying about both fights between the littles and sanitary issues if they let them share, but they were both pretty plain. One was a solid mint green and the other was bright red with a white handle ring. This one was special, customized with _his_ name on it.

“Come on baby, let’s pop it in so your poor little lip doesn’t have to suffer at the hands of your sharky teeth.” Jisung was losing parts of his higher comprehension abilities as he slipped further and further, but he still knew enough to realize Chan wanted the paci in his mouth. And right now he had absolutely no objections to that.

Almost unconsciously, Jisung’s mouth dropped open so Chan could gently settle it between his lips. He immediately latched onto it. The rubber was the same high grade silicone the other two were, but it also had some of these little ridges and things that massaged his tongue as he suckled on it, relaxing him much quicker than normal. It was involuntary at this point, slipping. He was mentally and emotionally exhausted from fighting it. He just didn’t have the energy to keep it up anymore.

Chan smiled adoringly at the boy as Jisung nearly sunk into his side, the last traces of stress leaving his face.

“Isn’t that better, Sungie?” The little nodded his head sluggishly in response and Chan tsked lightly. “Okay baby, let's get you into some comfy jammies. Those must be so so scratchy.” Jisung was wearing a pair of grey sweats and a plain t-shirt, fit to sleep in but very obviously meant to keep him from feeling little. Chan figured now that he’d settled him the younger would want something more soft or oversized, but to his surprise Jisung shook his head.

“Don’ wan’ tange.” He said simply, speech slurred and lisping around the pacifier and his abused lip. They’d have to put some oral antiseptic on that in the morning but Chan was just going to save that battle for later.

“Why don’t you want to change, sunshine?” Jisung _hated_ big boy clothes in littlespace. He would whine and complain until he was redressed in something soft and loose.

“Hu’ts.” Jisung replied, once again very short and soft with his words. It was obvious to Chan that his baby still wasn’t feeling well, even in his headspace. The tension was all gone but it had left behind this heaviness that he wanted nothing more than to lift off the younger’s shoulders.

“Hurts? What hurts, baby? Where does it hurt?” The caregiver’s hand ran up and down the younger’s back in comforting motions as Jisung shifted a bit and then pointed to the back of his hip. “Can I see?”

Jisung nodded hesitantly and Chan crouched so he was face level with the younger rapper’s lower back. Very gently, he lifted the hem of the boy’s shirt, and had to bite back a gasp at what he saw.

Peeking out over the top of his waistband, Jisung had a massive ugly yellow and brown splotched bruise. It was obviously old and healing, but he could tell that touching it (or in the case of their usual stage outfits, waistbands digging in) would still cause some pain. Poor baby looked something akin to an overripe banana.

“Oh honey, did this happen when you fell?” Jisung nodded sadly, and Chan felt his heart crack a little more. “How about this, hyungie will be extra careful getting you out of those icky scratchy clothes and you don’t have to wear pants to bed.”

The younger thought on this, very hard from the looks of it, and absentmindedly suckled on his pacifier while he stared at the floor. Finally, he seemed to find this compromise agreeable and bobbed his little head in a ‘yes’ motion. The elder smiled slightly, his baby seemed to be feeling much younger than normal. In that case,

“Would you be okay with hyungie putting you in pull-ups instead of your big boy undies?” To his slight surprise, Jisung was quick to nod his head yes to that. Usually he was embarrassed to need littler things, even in his headspace. Little Jisung, though loud, was shy about his wants and his likes and didn’t like to outright ask for things. This Jisung was so open, so trusting in his hyung to take care of him, Chan felt a surge of protectiveness rivaling the one he’d had when he first discovered Jisung’s little tendencies. “Okay, lets get you ready for bed my sweet little baby.”

The little wiggled happily at his words and Chan led him to the bed so he could sit him down to change him. Jisung lifted his arms to get his shirt off, then carefully rolled to one side and then the other to get his sweats and underwear off as gently as possible. The leader tugged a pull-up out of the pack stashed under his bed and slid it up to Jisung’s knees before he guided the little to stand up, gripping onto his shoulders for balance, while he tugged it the rest of the way up. The waistband sat high on Jisung’s tiny frame and while snug enough not to slip in the night it was flexible enough not to dig into his bruise.

“You wanna borrow one of hyungie’s big pullovers to sleep in?” Chan asked. He was met with a slightly glassy stare and a puppy-like tilt of the head, and quickly realized Jisung was more far-gone than he’d originally thought. “Sungie? Hyung is gonna go to his closet real quick. It’s right there, I’m not leaving. You’ll see me the whole time, okay?”

Jisung must’ve understood well enough, because he whined around his paci when Chan stepped away but didn’t fuss or cry. Quickly, the leader snatched a pastel yellow oversized hoodie out of his closet and stepped back to the bed. It was 100% cotton, extra soft on the inside, and had a simple little sun decal embroidered on the upper left corner of the chest. His baby seemed very content with it as he allowed it to be slipped on over his head and then immediately sunk into the covers.

Chan smothered a giggle. “Silly baby, we have to get _under_ the covers to go to sleep!” Jisung babbled something around his paci that sounded somewhat like he was trying to copy what his caregiver said, and Chan smiled proudly back. “That’s right, under the covers.”

There was a bit of wiggling and maneuvering until the little was snug under the blankets between Chan and the wall, curled up close to the leader. The elder tapped the base of his lamp until it was on the dimmest setting (what he hoped would be a suitable replacement for the nightlight he could not currently reach) and settled as his arms wrapped securely around the smaller boy.

“Goodnight, my sunny honey-bunny.” Jisung giggled at the nickname as his hyung pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Sleep tight.”

The little was out in minutes, but Chan already knew tomorrow morning would not be so easy.


	2. Chapter 2

When Jisung awoke, it was like a bucket of ice water had been poured on him. And he’d know, since he’d done that for real one time before.

Waking up big when he’d gone to bed little was not an uncommon occurrence, in fact it happened much more often than waking up little happened at all. Jisung usually progressed through his headspace quickly because they kept him on a pretty consistent schedule, if he was overly stressed he’d stay little for longer or need it more often but they’d all been getting better at managing themselves as they became more accustomed to being idols. But Jisung had never woken up big after being so little, especially not when he hadn’t wanted to be little in the first place.

The first thing he noticed as he bolted upright in bed was the crinkling of a pull-up around his hips. The second was that he wasn’t in his own bed. And the third, which should have been the first but that Jisung’s brain had probably tried to ignore due to shock, was that his pull-up was wet and cold and uncomfortable. He’d been so little that he had not only needed a pull-up but he’d wet himself in his sleep like a toddler. His headspace hadn’t done anything to help his stress, if anything he was even _more_ upset with himself for slipping when he wasn’t supposed to (according to himself at least). As his brain slowly descended into panic mode, a stirring caught his eye. He watched in growing dread as Chan shifted around, his arm feeling the bed beside him where Jisung must’ve just been laying. When it didn’t come into contact with anything, he pushed himself up onto his elbows and blinked blearily up at Jisung. In any other situation it might’ve been funny, his hyung laying there with his hair sticking up in all different directions and squinting tiredly at him, but instead it just made his heart clench painfully.

“‘Sung?” Chan croaked out in his dumb comforting gravelly sleep voice. Something in Jisung’s brain snapped, everything cutting to white noise as his little side _shoved_ his big side out. _You’re not helping_ , it seemed to say, _it’s my turn to try._

“Abwa!” Jisung cried, fat tears rolling down his face as his pacifier dropped out of his mouth to the covers. Chan’s eyes widened in shock at the name, _none_ of the littles had ever called them anything but hyung, hyungie, or some version of their name before. When he didn’t get an immediate response, Jisung cried harder and flung his arms out at the other. “Appa, _wet_!”

The leader recovered quickly and sat up, bringing Jisung into his arms as the smaller boy cried his heart out and wiggled in discomfort.

“You’re wet? Oh my poor baby, that must be so uncomfy. You want Appa to change you?” It probably should’ve worried him at how easily the name slipped off his tongue but he wasn’t going to question it when he had a distraught baby in his arms. Jisung nodded his head sadly and Chan pouted at the top of his head, his face firmly buried in Chan’s chest. “Can you be still while I carry you to the bathroom? I can’t clean you very well in here.”

The little leaned back and Chan fought the urge to coo at his pouty face. His eyes were still shiny with tears as he seemingly judged whether or not the trip to the bathroom would be worth it.

“I’ll put you in the bath and you can have bubbles and play with your ducks.” The pouty face stayed firmly fixed to his expression but he nodded anyway, climbing into the elder’s lap so Chan could pick him up. The leader stood and scooped up the pacifier before leaving, knowing there’d be nothing short of a meltdown if he had to leave Jisung’s sight even just to go grab it. His baby tended to get a bit clingy especially when he wasn’t feeling well. The minute he was in Chan’s arms his head dropped to his shoulder to rest, worn out from all the stress he’d already been through that morning.

There were no other signs of movement in the dorm as they made their way down the hall to the bathroom, it seemed to be quite early still. Chan shut and locked the door behind him, knowing Jisung was shy and anyone barging in while he was in the bath might cause another bout of tears. He’d seen Jisung cry enough for the week and maybe actually the year if he was being honest.

“Wanna sit on the edge while I fill the bath?” He mumbled lowly into the little’s ear, knowing his just-woke-up voice was incredibly soothing to him. “I’ll stay right there with you and keep you safe.”

Jisung picked his head up and glanced between Chan and the bathtub for a minute, biting his lip nervously. The leader winced at the action, he still needed to put some antiseptic on that.

“...Sun’ie cownew time af’ew baff?” The little asked nervously, pouting at the other. The words came out slurred and jumbled, like he was having a hard time stringing them together (or getting them out at all). Chan’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“Why would you get corner time, baby?” Jisung’s hand flexed slightly where he was gripping Chan’s sleepshirt, looking just as confused as his hyung and a little anxious as well.

“Sun’ie bad?” It came out questioning, and the caretaker slumped a bit. He’d known that one conversation last night wouldn’t have totally convinced Jisung he hadn’t done anything wrong, being that it hadn’t been much of a conversation in the first place. But now he was still at a loss as to how his mental wellbeing had spiralled so far out of control that he wouldn’t let Chan talk him down, hadn’t come to one of them despite obviously feeling little, had freaked out at the smallest confrontation, had dropped _so hard_ so fast, and kept saying that he was bad. Jisung hadn’t been this on edge since before he first came out about being a little in the first place. Back when the stress of hiding such a big important secret from the only people he really trusted and cared about was ripping his brain apart.

“No, angel, you aren’t bad. And you’re not getting any corner time after your bath, we’re just gonna go lay back down for a bit okay? You had such a hard morning, didn’t you honey? Need a nice snuggle under the cozy covers.” He talked in low tones, bouncing Jisung a bit on his hip. The younger seemed to sway, caught between expecting punishment and listening to his caregiver. But of course, the latter would always win out. He trusted Chan more than anything.

“Otay, Appa.” Chan’s heart swelled at the amount of trust his baby had in him and knelt down to set Jisung on the flat lip of the tub. He carefully turned the knobs until the water was running at a good temperature and then put the stopper in place for it to fill. As an afterthought, he ran the silicone bit of the pacifier in his hand under the water just to make sure no fuzzies had gotten on it when it landed on the bed, and then wordlessly popped it back into Jisung’s mouth. He made sure he stayed in between Jisung’s knees with a firm hand on his lower back to keep him from falling. In the meantime, the little contented himself with swirling his fingers in the water and “helping” pour the bubble bath in. It was lavender scented, guaranteed to make him sleepysoft in minutes.

Once the tub was full enough, Chan turned off the faucet and began helping him remove the big sweatshirt. He folded it and set it carefully out of splash range, then tugged off Jisung’s soiled pull-up and tossed it in the trash. Luckily he hadn’t had any leaks but it was definitely full. He only hoped that Jisung hadn’t been sitting in it long enough to get a rash, they didn’t really have anything for that and it would embarrass the poor boy to no end. How long did it take to develop a diaper rash? He’d never really thought about it before. That might have to be a question for a private search tab later...

Gently, he lowered the little into the warm soapy water, smiling at the happy sigh that followed. “Feel good, baby?”

Jisung hummed happily, grabbing one of the little washed out k-cups from the water and using it to scoop out bubbles and then dunk them under. He had a couple bath toys, some small yellow duckies that fit in his palm, a little water squirter that looked like a whale and was a soft blue color, and a cool little clownfish that swam on its own when submerged. But he also had a handful of empty k-cups that Woojin or Chan had washed out and stuck in the bath, and he often used them as little sail boats or submarines, or just filled them with water and watched it drain out of the hole on the bottom. They’d found out very quickly that Jisung was happy with the bare minimum and had a wild imagination. The type of kid to enjoy a cardboard box at least as much as the gift that came in it. It didn’t make spoiling him any less enjoyable, but it was nice to know he was happy no matter what.

“Hair first or soapies first?” Chan asked. Each little in particular usually preferred one over the other, or simply left it up to their caregiver, but Jisung specifically liked to be asked. He was usually the oldest in terms of headspace and therefore cherished the small bits of independence the other two were more willing to give up. If it was Hyunjin bathing him it was usually soapies first hair second, because Hyunjin liked to massage his scalp while shampooing and he wanted it to last as long as possible. It was the opposite with Woojin, who sort of rushed through shampooing but loved to make bubble beards and play pirates. With Chan, usually it depended on whether he wanted a short bath or a long bath. But Jisung just shrugged, continuing his game of scooping up bubbles and releasing them under the water. Chan frowned thoughtfully. “Baby? You still feeling a bit littler today?”

Another half-hearted shrug gave Chan his answer and he gently carded his fingers through Jisung’s hair, fingertips trailing down his back over the curve of his spine. He could feel every bump with ease and it worried him a bit. Jisung had been getting thinner recently, but he hadn’t really noticed how much until he’d picked him up. He was startlingly light for a boy his age, even if he was on the shorter side. Chan zoned out for a minute, just tracing mindless shapes into the warm soft skin of Jisung’s back.

“That’s okay, baby. You can be as little as you want. My sweetheart, my good boy.” He mumbled distractedly, smiling when the little relaxed back into him.

Washing was slow and gentle, Jisung’s playing calming a bit into just pushing things around in the warm water. He didn’t fuss when Chan made him get out, and opened his mouth obediently to give up his paci when he went to put the oral antiseptic gel on his injured lip. (He did whine at the taste though. Who wouldn’t? It was gross!)

Chan put him into a clean pull-up and put the hoodie back on him (they were staying home today anyway, who cares if he slept in it?) and wordlessly picked him up again. Definitely too easy to carry. That would be another thing to talk about when he was big again.

Jisung once again laid his head on Chan’s shoulder as he was carried back into the bedroom. Chan vaguely noted that Changbin was gone but couldn’t remember if he’d been there before they left or not. Probably not, he and Felix usually preferred to sleep together when they both regressed at the same time, and it was better they do that in Felix’s room with more people to keep track of them. He was glad for it this time around, Jisung needed all his attention at the moment.

“Alright, Sung. Cover time.” The little whined against his neck and clung tighter, obviously not wanting to be put down. The leader sighed and maneuvered so he could flop down on the bed on his back. Jisung giggled and Chan giggled back, and before they knew it the two of them were just a mess of laughter.

“Well, well, well,” the leader looked up to see Woojin leaning against the door jamb, arms crossed and a fond smile on his face. “Looks like someone’s got a case of the giggles this morning.” 

“Hi ‘yun’ie.” Jisung called softly, waving slightly with his cheek resting on Chan’s chest. Woojin sent a quiet “hi Sungie” and a wave right back.

“Hey Wooj,” Chan smiled, “we didn’t wake you did we?”

“I was just waking up when I heard the water running.” He shrugged, not looking too bothered. “Sung left his strawberry milk on the counter last night. I wanted to check in on him. He seems better this morning.”

Chan opened his mouth to reply when Jisung’s little head popped up.

“T’awbewwy?” He asked with a little puppy tilt of his head. Woojin smiled.

“Hyungie put your strawberry milk away last night so it wouldn’t get icky, you want some?” Jisung nodded with a polite little “p’ease” and the eldest moved back into the hall. “Be right back, then.”

“Abwa,” Jisung slurred around his pacifier, head dropping back to Chan’s chest. “T’awbewwy.”

“Yes, baby, I heard. Hyungie is being very sweet and getting you some strawberry milk so you can stay here and cuddle with Appa.” Chan still hadn’t quite adjusted to his new title, but it was hard to ignore how giddy it made him. Especially with a soap and lavender scented baby with sleepy eyes trained on him curled up on his chest.

“Hyun’ie s’eet.” Jisung echoed quietly, fighting to keep his eyes open just a little longer. Woojin was back in just a second, carrying Jisung’s strawberry milk in a suspiciously new looking sippy cup. It was tinted a light pink, had Hello Kitty printed over the side, and had a flat-ish soft nipple instead of a straw or hard spout like most of their other ones did. It also had handles. Chan peaked a brow at the elder as Jisung squealed something around his paci about “kitty”. Woojin just shrugged.

“We found a couple of Hello Kitty and Friends DVDs in a bargain bin at the supermarket a couple months ago, thought the kids might like them. Felix and Changbin watched them like they’d watch anything else, but Jisung is kind of obsessed. I was going to give it to him soon but…” Chan recalled the previous night with the pacifier, and he completely understood. 

Woojin took careful, slow steps into the room just in case Jisung was still sensitive, but even though he’d obviously chosen Chan as His Person today (most of the time he picked Chan, sometimes he picked Woojin, and on very rare occasions when he was feeling extra playful and Felix wasn’t regressed, he’d ask for Hyunjin) he seemingly had no qualms about making grabby hands at the elder and his precious kitty cup.

Jisung went to take a sip of his strawberry milk, but frowned when the spout bumped the button of his pacifier. He furrowed his brows, eyes crossed as he attempted to look at the offending item, and both Chan and Woojin had to stifle their laughter.

“Here, baby. Give Appa your paci so you can take a sip.” Jisung gasped and took his paci from his mouth, placing it in Chan’s open hand and missing Woojin’s raised eyebrow as he thought about how smart his Appa was.

“Is that new? The name?” The eldest questioned, and Chan made a face.

“This morning. I think he woke up big and then dropped hard again, since then he’s been calling me that.” Woojin hummed, but he had that fondly amused look on his face again.

“That’s cute. Always knew the kid had a soft spot for you. He’d do anything you asked, and he’s always been kind of clingy with you even outside of headspace.”

“I’m just worried about how his headspace has been fluctuating,” Chan replied. Which was true, but significantly dampened by the furious flush on his cheeks. He was just very naturally fatherly, okay? And Jisung needed someone to take care of him. It made them both feel good.

“That is a little worrisome. Were you able to talk with him about it before he slipped?” Chan grumbled and Woojin silently took that as a “no” while Jisung just looked between the two. His Appa looked kind of grumpy. What did Appa usually do for him when he was grumpy?

Chan tried his best not to jolt as a hand suddenly brushed through his hair. It was a little disjointed, the movement not completely fluid, but soft and careful.

“Love Appa.” He said firmly, looking into Chan’s eyes. His caregiver broke into a wide smile and he smiled back. He did it! Appa wasn’t grumpy anymore!

“Appa loves you too, angel.”

Jisung contentedly finished his strawberry milk and reluctantly gave Woojin back his kitty sippy so he could take it to wash it.

“How about I just rinse it real good and put some water in it, hm? Then you can keep kitty with you today while you and Appa get some rest.” The little brightened considerably and nodded his head wildly, hair flopping all around. Woojin smiled and gave his hair a fond ruffle, which Jisung adoringly leaned into. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

Watching Woojin and his precious kitty disappear, Jisung frowned. Chan brushed his knuckles lightly over the younger boy’s cheek, trying to soothe the pout away. “What’s wrong, baby?”

Jisung turned his big wide eyes on him. “Papa stay?” 

The leader’s brow furrowed. “Of course Appa is staying, we’re going to rest today remember?”

Jisung scowled and Chan fought the urge to pinch his cheeks. “No Appa, _Papa._ ”

It clicked, and Chan’s eyebrows furrowed a bit. Just to make sure… “You want Woojin to stay with us today?”

The little nodded, glad his Appa understood. He wasn’t sure just why Woojin was Papa now, but hyungie hadn’t been quite _enough_ for today. He wanted Chan _and_ Woojin to be His Person today, the both of them, his little mindset just didn’t know how else to convey that besides giving them both special names. So Appa and Papa.

“Okay, we can ask him when he comes back.” He hoped Woojin would say yes. Jisung was fragile today and Chan had no clue what would set him off.

He needn’t have worried of course, Woojin was one of the most understanding people Chan had met in his entire life, and he genuinely adored Jisung. When Jisung very politely asked “Papa stay p’ease?” with his big doe eyes trained on Woojin, the eldest simply smiled, set the Hello Kitty sippy on the side table, and said “okay baby, Papa can lay down with you and Appa today.”

So they laid there, Chan on his back against the wall with Jisung on his chest and Woojin on his side with an arm thrown over them both. Jisung breathed softly around his pacifier, dozing while Chan and Woojin talked in whispers. The sun was really beginning to rise now and Chan knew the coming day would bring challenges, but he was going to try his best to be ready for them.


	3. Chapter 3

Chan had stopped talking a bit ago, the rumble gone from his chest, and Jisung was slowly coming out of his light doze. He blinked sleepily, not really taking anything in for the moment. For a second, he couldn’t tell if he was big or little. Then, Woojin caught his eye and smiled softly.

“Hey, baby,” he cooed, “you have a nice nap?”

Almost instantaneously he felt the warm fluffy feeling settle over his mind, and he smiled behind his paci. Reaching out to touch Woojin’s face, he mumbled a tiny “baba”.

“Papa’s right here, baby.” He sighed happily as Woojin gently held his hand which soon turned into the little playing with his fingers. “Hey sunshine, why don’t you and I go find something to eat while we let Appa sleep?”

Jisung blinked at him slowly, unable to really comprehend most of the words directed at him. He was also still really sleepy, which wasn’t helping at all. After a moment he parsed out the words “sunshine” (that’s him!), “eat”, and “Appa sleep”. He looked away from Papa, who was letting him take his time, and stared up at his Appa.

Appa had his chin pressed into his shoulder, eyes closed and mouth slightly open. Soft little breaths passed his lips as his chest slowly rose and fell, and Jisung decided he was definitely asleep.

He turned back to Woojin and pouted slightly behind his pacifier. “Abwa syeep,” he confirmed, a little disappointed. But there was still the matter of the word “eat”, he was very interested in that right now. “Baba, ea’?”

His Papa smiled at him. It made his tummy feel all fluffy, he liked when Appa and Papa smiled at him. “Sure thing, babydoll. Papa and baby are gonna go find something to eat.”

Jisung made a quiet happy noise as Papa slid off the bed and gently scooped him up. He rearranged the little so he was settled on his hip, and leaned down to press a kiss to Chan’s forehead. He was happy their leader was getting some sleep.

“Come on Sungie-baby, let's go see what we can find to eat.” He tickled the little under his chin, grinning when he got a giggle and a head nuzzling into his shoulder in response. He made sure to grab Jisung’s kitty sippy before leaving, and they both made their way to the kitchen.

It wasn’t hard to find something Jisung would eat, he was never picky in headspace and would eat just about whatever was put in front of him. Today that was stir fried rice with chicken and mixed veggies. After his first couple bites, Hyunjin joined the two of them in the kitchen and made funny faces at Jisung while he ate, making Woojin scold him as Jisung laughed and interrupted his eating.

Suddenly, Woojin’s phone went off. The little and other caregiver watched as he frowned at it and then pouted at Jisung.

“Angel baby, Papa has to take a call. Can you be good and let Jinnie feed you while I talk to manager-hyung?” Jisung pouted right back. That wasn’t fair, this was _his_ Papa time! Not manager-hyung’s! But manager-hyung was important, and he did wanna be good…

“Otay, Papa,” he answered, making sure to sound as not-happy about it as possible. Woojin smiled at him gratefully and kissed his forehead.

“Thank you my sweet baby, Papa will be back before you know it.”

He watched as his Papa walked into the living room and listened as his voice trailed off until he could barely hear him. Hyunjin was watching as well, turning over some things in his brain. Jisung and Woojin had both just definitely referred to Woojin as “Papa”, and he supposed it wasn’t totally a surprise but his sleep-addled brain wasn’t quite processing it. He’s always thought that if anyone got a special name it would probably be Chan, as far as he knew he and Jisung were the closest in headspace and the younger relied on him for pretty much everything. Now that he thought about it though, he supposed Woojin was just as present if a little quieter. And he and Chan _did_ fit well together as parental figures—

“Jinnie?” Hyunjin snapped out of his thoughts and looked over. Jisung opened his mouth. With a sweet smile, Hyunjin grabbed the chopsticks Woojin had left and began feeding the younger boy, deciding to just let it go for now. Jisung must be feeling clingy today, usually he preferred to feed himself (or try to) and rather liked his independence.

About halfway through his plate, Jisung shook his head when Hyunjin offered the chopsticks. The caregiver frowned at him.

“Sungie, you know you’re supposed to finish your plate.” Jisung shook his head again and Hyunjin sighed. He figured the little was just getting bored so he tried making it fun, but Jisung whined and pushed way back in his chair. “Sungie please eat.” The little once again shook his head, more aggressively. “Jisung.” He said sternly.

“No no Jinnie no!” He yelled, echoing the phrase he’d heard the other boys saying lately. Fat tears started to roll down his cheeks as he banged his hands on the table and Hyunjin quickly set the chopsticks down and pulled the plate away so he wouldn’t accidentally upend it. He didn’t manage to stop the Hello Kitty cup from hitting the ground though, and when Jisung realized he cried even harder. Hyunjin got up from his chair, kneeling down in front of the little. Jisung never misbehaved, so to see him throwing a fit like this was startling and worrying.

“Okay, okay Sungie, no more. Jinnie is sorry, baby.” Jisung continued to cry, loud pitiful sobs, and held his arms out, wanting to be sure Hyunjin wasn’t going to be mad or punish him. The caregiver gathered the boy up in his arms and sat on the floor with him in his lap.

“T-tummy hu’t, Jinnie.” He whined, hiccuping around his tears and nuzzling into Hyunjin’s neck. “Sungie sowwy i jus’ frow a fit.”

“Oh no, sweetheart. Jinnie is sorry he didn’t listen when you said you were done. I would’ve thrown a fit too if my tummy hurt.” Jisung was definitely in a much younger headspace than normal, this was something more than just his usual clinginess. He was their most sensitive baby even at his oldest headspace and cried easily though he rarely talked back or acted out. Hyunjin felt terrible for trying to push him. “Hyungie isn’t mad, see?”

Jisung pulled back and Hyunjin greeted him with a big bright smile, hard as it was when the younger boy was still sniffling and his poor face had puffed up even more than usual. “No mad.” The little confirmed, patting Hyunjin’s face gently.

“That’s right. Jinnie will be more careful from now on and listen to you more, okay?” Jisung didn’t quite understand but he was mostly just happy his hyungie wasn’t mad at him. He nodded eagerly and messily swiped away his tears with his little fists. Hyunjin gently moved his hands and used his own sleeves to wipe the tear tracks away.

“K-kitty.” Jisung hiccuped, and Hyunjin hurriedly grabbed the sippy cup from where it had fallen beside the chair and handed it to him. He didn’t try to drink from it, just held it close to his chest.

Then, Hyunjin got an idea. “Sungie, has your Papa ever taught you how to do gwiyomi?”

With a slightly dazed look in his eyes, Jisung shook his head.

That’s how Woojin found them about 20 minutes later, on the floor with Jisung in Hyunjin’s lap, both giggling as Jisung tried and mostly succeeded at copying Hyunjin’s gwiyomi. Jisung had his kitty cup clutched tight in one hand and it made his movements a little awkward, but he didn’t seem inclined to let it go. He hadn’t missed the yelling and crying earlier, nor did he miss the red puffiness around the little’s eyes. The sounds of his baby’s cries from the other room had tugged at something deep in his chest and he fought not to rush through the rest of the call.

“Hey baby.” He called out, and Jisung lit up even brighter.

“Papa!” The little flung his arms out and Woojin was quick to scoop him up onto his hip. He began babbling something about the “game” Hyunjin had been showing him, before seemingly remembering something and frowning. “Papa Jisun’ie mean to Jinnie an’ frow a fit. Sun’ie sowwy.” The elder turned to Hyunjin.

“What happened?” He asked, not unkindly, but Hyunjin looked guilty all the same.

“He got about halfway through his stir fry and suddenly he didn’t wanna eat anymore. I thought maybe he was just being stubborn since you weren’t in the room, but I pushed too hard and we had a tiny meltdown. I didn’t realize he was so little today, I’m sorry hyung.”

Woojin shook his head. “It’s not your fault, I didn’t say anything and you’re still learning. We all make mistakes.” To the little, he said, “You weren’t mean baby, it was just a tiny mistake. We just have to do better next time.” Back to Hyunjin he asked, “Did anything else happen?”

“No, not really. He said his tummy hurt. Is he sick?”

The eldest pursed his lips and debated on whether he should wait for Jisung to confirm or just come out with it. In the end, he decided the more eyes on Jisung’s eating habits the better. “I think he’s been skipping meals and eating less recently. His tummy can’t handle as much as it could if he were eating normally.”

Hyunjin winced and seemed to go a little pale. “Not Sungie…”

They both stood in silence a moment. Woojin was the first to speak up.

“Thank you for watching him while I took that call, and thank you for handling it so well. Really Jinnie, you did good.”

The taller boy gave him a lopsided smile. “You know I love Sung, I’d do anything for him.”

“Papa?”

Woojin looked down at Jisung’s pouty face with concern. “Yes, baby?”

“Wet.” Woojin mentally sighed in relief that it wasn’t a bigger problem and smiled.

“Ah, well we better go take care of that, huh?”

When Chan awoke, neither his boyfriend nor his baby were in sight. It wasn’t enough to cause any panic, but his accidentally-slept-when-i-didn’t-mean-to brain was irrationally worried something had happened.

He slowly rolled out of bed, stretching up real high for the satisfaction of feeling his back crack, and wandered out of his room to see where his sunshine and his boyfriend had gone. It didn’t take much searching. When he stepped out into the living room Jisung was on the playmat with the roads on it, driving little plastic toy cars all around them and making quiet “vroom” sounds behind his paci, his kitty sippy close by his side. Woojin was sitting on the couch not far away, a tired-looking Hyunjin curled up next to him and a slightly more awake Jeongin showing him something on his phone.

Chan took careful steps and gradually entered his baby’s line of sight so he wouldn’t startle him and cause another bout of tears, and his heart swelled at the way Jisung’s face lit up when he spotted him.

“Abwa!” He shouted around his paci, forgetting all about his cars in favor of reaching up for a hug. Chan gladly took him into his arms, completely missing the dawning look of understanding on Hyunjin’s face and the Jeongin’s surprised expression, plopping down on the floor and getting him all nice and snuggly in his lap.

“Hello my sunny funny honey-bunny!” Jisung giggled at the ridiculously long nickname and nuzzled into Chan’s chest. This was one of his favorite places to be, next to Woojin’s lap and in between both of them in bed. He really loved his Appa and Papa so much.

“Hey Channie,” Woojin greeted with a small smile, “how was _your_ nap?”

“It was good.” Better than good, he hadn’t even realized how exhausted he was until he’d already woken up again. Woojin probably knew, based on the look he was giving him. “Have you and Sungie been okay without me?”

“We had a mini meltdown at breakfast but besides that he’s been the happiest little ray of sunshine. We had tv time for a couple episodes of Pororo and then we decided to play with cars. We were just waiting for you to get up so we could have a snack. Sungie didn’t want to have strawberries without Appa.”

“Isn’t my baby just the sweetest!” Chan nuzzled his nose against Jisung’s cheek and was rewarded with his cute high-pitched giggles. “You wanna eat strawberries with Appa, darling?”

“Abwa an’ Baba an’ In’ie an’ ‘Din’ie!” He slurred around his pacifier.

“Appa and Papa and Innie and Jinnie? You wanna share with _everybody_?” The little nodded his head firmly, and Chan peppered little kisses all over his face. He was once again a tiny giggling mess, trying (but not trying very hard) to push his Appa away.

“No no Abwa no!” He squealed delightedly, small hands pushing at Chan’s chest. “‘Ickles, Abwa!”

“You’re so considerate, honeybun! How sweet of you to share your favorite snack!” They calmed down and Jisung grasped at one of Chan’s hands, contentedly playing with his fingers, the excitement of his cars no longer holding the same appeal as being close to his Appa. Chan let him, giving Hyunjin some time to realize that meant he’d have to get up and move to the table.

“Everyone else has gone out.” Woojin spoke up quietly, so as not to disturb Jisung or either of the tired boys on either side of him. “Felix, Changbin, and Seungmin went to the mall and Minho went to the gym.”

“So it's just us five?”

“Just us five.” Woojin confirmed.

When they reached the table they hit a slight snag. Jisung wanted to sit next to his Appa and Papa of course, but he also wanted to sit next to Hyunjin, still feeling clingy and a little guilty from earlier. He couldn’t sit by all three of them at once, and trying to explain that to him was nearly impossible. He was just too little to understand. Woojin and Chan could both see his eyes glazing over with frustrated tears, when Jeongin made a suggestion.

“Sungie why don’t you sit in your Appa’s lap and you both sit next to Papa and Jinnie.” The little blinked at the other, then looked down hard in thought as he tried to figure out how that would work. Chan helpfully showed him, sitting down and pulling him into his lap, Woojin and Hyunjin sliding in on either side of them. Happy that his problem had been solved, Jisung clapped and giggled, his almost-tears now forgotten.

He willingly gave up his paci as Woojin fed him strawberries, occasionally feeding one to Chan too when the little guided him to. He was taking his sharing very seriously, making sure everybody got some and seeming very pleased when they all made exaggerated sounds of enjoyment.

He made it known when he was done, leaning back into Chan’s chest and shaking his head. He made grabby hands at his sippy cup until it was handed to him and once again just held onto it instead of trying to drink from it. His tummy still hurt a bit and he was getting full too quick. Woojin frowned a little and reached out to rub his belly, careful not to press too hard. Jisung heaved a big content sigh and wiggled until he was comfortably snuggling back against his Appa while Papa’s big strong hands soothed his aching tummy.

His eyes slipped closed, and he greedily accepted the pacifier when it was pressed to his lips. He was out like a light in less than a minute.

“I guess it’s nap time.” Jeongin whispered, and the four giggled to themselves.

“It’s definitely a start to catching up on his rest.” Woojin said, the mood turning a bit somber but still comfortable. It was quiet for a long while, everyone content to watch the baby sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was barely edited so uhhh sorry if there are mistakes lol and sorry it took so long u_u


	4. Chapter 4

They woke him up after about an hour and a half, a little longer than normal but early enough that he’d hopefully go to bed at a decent hour still. When Jisung awoke he required another change, which he yawned and grumbled his way through. He wasn’t grumpy, at least he didn’t think so, he was just still trying to wake up and wasn’t used to being so sleepy even after his nap.

“No p’ay Baba,” he whined at Woojin, sitting petulantly on the floor. “S’eep.”

“You can’t sleep any more, honey bunny. If you sleep more now you won’t sleep at bedtime.” They’d been having this conversation for about 20 minutes now, Woojin urging the little to play with his cars or his blocks (they were terrycloth and very colorful, and they had numbers on them) but all Jisung wanted to do was sleep. As much as he needed rest, he needed  _ consistent _ rest, to make sure he wouldn’t develop bad sleeping habits in or out of headspace. Napping for hours in the middle of the day would only prevent him from getting a restful sleep at night.

“Wan’ s’eep!” Jisung insisted, squeezing the soft block in his hands as his face scrunched up in frustration. He didn’t understand why Papa couldn’t just let him take another nap! Papa usually  _ wanted _ him to nap, why wasn’t he letting him now? It made no sense.

“Sungie, Papa doesn’t like how you’re acting right now.” This had been something Woojin had been waiting for. Chan wanted to treat Jisung like glass in headspace, evidenced by how he was sitting on the very edge of the sofa obviously fighting himself not to just go and comfort the boy, but a big part of it was stress relief. Mindlessly playing couldn’t do everything, and Jisung was such an angel that sometimes they forgot he needed this part too. To push his boundaries, to snap and have someone bring him back. Chan didn’t have the heart for it most of the time. “Please just be good for Papa, won’t you baby?”

Of course Chan and Woojin had talked about how Jisung kept calling himself bad while the boy had been sleeping that morning, and if there was anything Woojin needed to fix it was that. Jisung was not a bad boy, none of them were, and the fact that he was talking about himself that way made Woojin very upset. If he couldn’t discuss the problem with Big Jisung, Little Jisung would just have to absorb some of it subconsciously for him. And unfortunately, that meant a little bit of punishment was necessary. Sometimes when one of the littles was really upset with themselves, they needed a little reprimand and a firm guiding hand. Only figuratively, they didn’t believe in any kind of physical punishment and that included spanking. They didn’t want to make any of the littles think anyone had a right to lay a hand on them for any reason.

“No!” Something about that seemed to do the trick, and Jisung flung the block in his hands at Woojin. It hit him square in the chest and bounced right off, and he heard Chan bite off a gasp. It didn’t hurt at all of course, but the damage was done. Jisung immediately began wailing, throwing himself down onto the carpet kicking his feet and screaming. He was going to get in trouble now, he was going to get punished.

“Okay baby, I know. You have to come with Papa now, okay?” The elder heaved him up off the ground and onto his hip, having to take extra care not to drop him as he thrashed. As soon as he was settled though, Jisung went limp and sadly sniffled against his Papa’s shoulder. Woojin grabbed his pacifier from the floor and held onto it until he could rinse it off, and after a second grabbed the Hello Kitty cup and handed it off to him. It seemed to be his new comfort item, and the thought made Woojin’s chest warm. “We’re gonna take a trip to the bathroom now, sweetheart.”

“Co’new time?” He asked hesitantly, rubbing his wet cheek against Woojin’s shoulder with his kitty clutched tight to his chest. The elder shook his head.

“No, Sungie. No corner. We’re going to do something else.” Jisung continued to cry and cling to him, hoping that his punishment wouldn’t be too bad but apprehensive since they were going somewhere private.

Woojin walked them both to the unoccupied bathroom and shut and locked the door, turning them both to the mirror.

“Baby Ji, Papa needs you to look at yourself.” Jisung looked up at his reflection, his own face covered in snot and tears, and immediately hid back in Papa’s shoulder. He didn’t want to look at himself. “No baby, you need to look, okay? Papa needs you to do this, please be good for me.”

Jisung heaved a big shaky sigh and then looked back up, his face scrunched up and blotchy red. Even so deep in headspace, it embarrassed him to see himself like this. It felt bad.

“There you go, buddy. I know you don’t feel good right now, but Papa needs to explain some things. Right now, you feel like crying. Earlier, you felt like throwing a block at me.” The little’s lower lip wobbled. He felt guilty for throwing things at Papa, and not just cause it got him in trouble. But Woojin wasn’t done yet. “Sometimes you feel like yelling, sometimes you feel like laughing. Sometimes you’re the best behaved boy on the whole planet, and sometimes you get upset and you act out and throw a fit.” They locked eyes in the mirror. “But you’re never bad. You are not and will never be a bad boy, no matter what you do. And no matter how you feel I will always love you.”

Woojin was very careful to never use that kind of language with the littles, and made sure the other caregivers did their best not to either. Just because they did things that required correcting didn't mean they were bad or were being bad. It was easy for that kind of mindset to affect them negatively, and that was the last thing they wanted to come from this.

“Even when you cry, even when you scream, even when you yell and kick and throw things,” he paused, “even when you make mistakes, Papa still loves you. You can get upset and act out all you want, nothing could make me leave you.” And that was half the reason for this punishment, corner time would only reinforce that when Jisung acted out he would be left alone. Even if Woojin was in the room and Jisung could see him, he would still feel abandoned. This was his solution, it would still feel like a punishment since Jisung was made to look at himself while objectively looking like kind of a mess, but it also made him see that even though he’d acted out Papa was still holding him just the same as he always did. He also let him keep his comfort item, that was important when the littles were distressed. He’d been very clear to the other caregivers that they were  _ never  _ to take away a comfort item as a punishment. It would do more harm than good.

Jisung had stopped crying at this point, swiping at his face messily with the hoodie sleeve while holding tight to his kitty sippy. He still didn’t like to see himself, but for some reason he felt better. Less tired, less weighted down.

“We’re gonna talk about that when you’re big again, too.” That would be Big Jisung’s part of the punishment, for worrying them all so much these past couple weeks. “But for now, I think we’re done in here. Do you want to say anything to Papa, baby?”

Jisung thought long and hard on it for a while.

“Sowwy fo’ th’ow.” He said eventually. Then, softer, “Love you, Papa.”

“Papa loves you too baby, so so much. Now, what do you say we rinse off your paci, wash your face, and go grab Appa to play with some of your toys, hm?”

They made a quick pit stop in Jisung’s room to put him in a pair of soft loose cotton shorts under his oversized hoodie, his Papa worrying his little legs would get too cold if they continued to let him go around half naked. Then they headed back to the living room, Jisung considerably brighter and even giggling as his Papa tickled him under the chin.

Woojin felt bad for Chan, he looked like a nervous wreck. Upon reentering the living room, the leader shot up off the sofa and took quick strides toward the other two. He stopped short, but it was obvious that his hands were itching to reach out and hold his baby.

“Are you guys okay? All better?” He asked, the first question directed more at Woojin and the second more for Jisung.

“Aww bette’ Abwa!” Jisung cheered around his paci, reaching for Chan. Woojin handed the squirming little over and Chan was quick to snuggle him close. The eldest watched as the tension in his body slowly bled out, and for a moment he felt guilty. But they both knew Jisung needed it, and even if Chan didn’t like to be the one doing the reprimanding, he understood why it needed to be done. He was honestly glad whenever he could leave it to Woojin, even when it ended with his baby distressed.

“I’m so happy to hear that, angel. Were you good for Papa?” The little nodded his head wildly, Chan barely avoided getting headbutted in the nose.

“Sun’ie goo’ boy!” The leader looked like he was about to cry. Woojin really did have the magic touch at times.

“Yes you are, sweetheart. You’re a very good boy. Appa and Papa’s best boy.”

Things went relatively smoothly after that. No more crying, screaming, or fits, the others came home shortly and were each delighted at the sight of Jisung in headspace.

Minho was the first to make it back and his tired post-workout grimace quickly turned into a bright smile at the sight of Jisung.

“Hey there, kitten!” Jisung giggled and blushed as Minho ruffled his hair, making grabby hands at the elder for snuggles. “Aww, hyungie’s gotta take a shower first okay kitten?”

The little pouted up at him but compliantly let him go with a cute wave. “Otay ‘yun’ie.”

When the other three returned, they were greeted with Jisung “teaching” Minho how to do gwiyomi, his Hello Kitty sippy sitting safely in his lap. Felix nearly squealed and dropped his shopping bags, rushing to put his things away and join the “lesson”. He’d just regressed the night before so he didn’t feel the need to slip, but he loved playing with Sungie no matter what headspace he was in. Seungmin and Changbin both fondly shook their heads and went to put their own things away. They noticed Chan and Woojin hovering close by while Minho and Felix played with the baby, and they shared a look. They were such parents sometimes.

Eventually, everyone migrated to the living room and kitchen to do their own things. Woojin started prepping for dinner, Chan and Felix continued playing with Jisung, telling him the english words for things when he pointed to them, Changbin was reading, Jeongin was studying at the table, Minho had Hyunjin pinned to the couch for a cuddle session, and Seungmin was watching YouTube videos.

“Caaaar.” Chan said, overexaggeratedly, and Jisung giggled.

“Gaaaaaa.” He repeated, then giggled again. He picked up another toy and held it out. This time Felix took it from him and held it up for display.

“Firetruck!” The younger said brightly, and the little clapped and laughed.

“Fi-ruck!” He shouted, several laughs echoing back at him from around the living room.

“Okay boys,” Woojin said, coming in from the kitchen wiping his hands off with a dish rag. “Another ten minutes and it’ll be ready, so start cleaning up alright?”

“Okay~!” Felix and Chan both called back, Jisung copying them with a softer “otay~”. Felix got up to grab Jisung’s toy box and Chan and Jisung gathered everything to put away. Chan let Jisung be the one to place the toys in the bin while he simply handed them to him to make it easier. When everything was put up, Felix and Jisung shouted “all done” in unison and high-fived with both hands. Then, Jisung turned to Chan.

“Appa, eat?” Despite his tummy trouble, little Sungie seemed to have twice big Jisung’s appetite. Or maybe in his littler headspace he just wasn’t having the same reservations about eating. Even if he could only eat about half his meal at a time he didn’t seem to hesitate when it came to food.

Chan smiled and opened his mouth to reply when Felix cut in. “Did Sungie just call you Appa?”

The leader paused and gave a quick glance around, noticing a few eyes on them. Some like Changbin and Seungmin seemed surprised, while Minho sported a devilishly gleeful grin.

“That’s so  _ cute _ !”

His cry brought on an entire commotion, Felix and Minho were both screaming about how adorable it was while Changbin, Seungmin, and eventually Hyunjin began bombarding Chan with questions. He was in the process of trying to get them to stop yelling over each other when he felt a tug on his clothes. 

Hands gripped at his shirt, and Chan turned to find Jisung looking up at him uncertainly.

“Appa?” He said again, quieter, and Chan felt himself melt at the sound. The elder gently brought Jisung into his arms and the younger settled against him comfortably, finding safety in his embrace.

“Aww, it’s okay my baby. Hyungs just think it’s cute that you call me a special name. They’re being real silly, huh?”

Jisung sighed contentedly as the noise began to quiet down, burying his face in Appa’s neck instead of acknowledging his words. Felix cooed and very gently reached out to hold the little’s hand while Chan slipped his paci back into his mouth.

“Sorry, Sungie. Hyungs didn’t mean to be so loud.”

Jisung squeezed his hand back, and he took that to mean he had been forgiven.

“Alright kids, dinner!”

Seungmin and Jeongin jumped up to help Woojin carry all the food into the living room to place on their big table. Once everything was set, they fixed their plates and dug in. Woojin moved to sit by Chan and Jisung again, and the little peeked out to see the food that’s been prepared.

“Abwa, ea’?” He asked again, and Chan nodded his head.

“Yeah sunshine, we can eat now. Can I have your paci back real quick please?”

Jisung jutted his chin out, still not having let go of Felix’s hand, and Chan took the soother from his mouth himself. He seemed to still be a little unsure, his other hand curled into Chan’s shirt and gripped tight. He looked like he wanted something but couldn’t say it.

“Papa?” He said quietly, like he was trying not to attract attention, and Chan silently cursed the other members even though he knew they genuinely didn’t mean anything by it.

“Yes my sweet baby?” Woojin smiled and Jisung finally let go of Felix’s hand and Chan’s shirt to reach for him.

The eldest pulled their little into his lap and Jisung wiggled and maneuvered until he had his back pressed against his Papa’s chest in the same position he had with Chan had lunch.

“Baby wanted to make sure you didn’t feel left out.” The leader smiled softly and Jisung nodded his head. Appa knew exactly what he meant, he really liked that about Appa. Woojin cooed at him and smoothed his hair back out of his face.

“Oh is that right? What a sweet little boy we have, Appa.” Chan felt his face heat up at Woojin calling him that, but the overwhelmingly affectionate look the older was sending him made something in his chest unwind.

“The sweetest little boy in the whole universe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I received a comment sometime ago that suggested I remove the ageplay tag as this is an age regression story, not an ageplay story, but I’m going to continue to use it as it is the most commonly searched for tag to find stories like mine. I understand the reasoning and I agree with it, but I would also like my work to be easily tracked by and accessible to others. Thank you for understanding.
> 
> Also, in case it wasn’t already obvious, Woojin will stay in this story. I don’t know how people feel about that, but he’s staying. I don’t plan to write out him leaving, I don’t plan on rewriting it to remove him, and I don’t plan on leaving him out in any way shape or form. Whatever chapters I may eventually add to this he will be in and it will stay that way until I eventually finish or discontinue this work
> 
> Please remember comments feed me! The story doesn't necessarily depend on it and I'll continue to update regardless but it sure does give me motivation to write!

**Author's Note:**

> Heavily inspired by Snips and Snails and Puppy Dogs’ Tails by Wheres_my_badger. The title is a bit of a reference to it, though I’ve tried very hard to establish my own universe.


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